


Masks

by myscribblings



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:54:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27373783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myscribblings/pseuds/myscribblings
Summary: The Eternal Alliance is no longer the power it was, war has re-ignited, and now, a horror from the past has returned.
Kudos: 2





	Masks

The galaxy is filled to overflowing with monsters. That is the way of living things, perhaps, that some will be destructive. Thinking beings become selfish and acquisitive, and we call that evil. Great beasts can lurk anywhere, crossing great deserts on leathery wings or lunging from asteroids in airless space. Ancient science can become a terror because we no longer understand it. But, the evil are still mortal, beasts can be avoided or slain, and ancient toys will eventually find they are past their time.

There are other terrors much greater, more eldritch. Things that are rents in the fabric of life, great wounds that bleed into the void, creating decay and death to feed themselves. They often wear different masks to walk amongst the living. Do they exist because of damage to the Force, or are they some form of parasite from beyond?

And can such things ever truly die?

The Eternal Alliance had not lived up to its name. First, the Fleet was destroyed, and the entity that could replace it refused. Its allies slowly drifted away, believing that the threat they had come together for was vanquished, that they could return to their homes, finally. The ancient war, pointless now, was gearing up to continue. The promise of the Alliance had been squandered.

When the remnants of Darth Nihilus returned, there were none that could oppose it.

A last ditch effort was still attempted, of course. Once again, different forces realigned to try to protect others, or to save themselves. Heroes and villains from many wars came to battle the threat. And once again, against all odds, a small force was able to reach its throne room on the flag ship. Darth Jadus. Satele Shan. Senya Tirall. The rest had fallen, or were holding the line so that these three could confront the monster from the past.

Two of them felt those deaths far more keenly than the third, and hesitated, just for a moment, as they entered the throne room. Jadus, though, his plans in ruins because of this upstart, acted more rashly than was his way, striking quickly. He hurtled forward, wreathed in lightning, the very pinnacle of Sith power.

The thing rose, languidly, from the throne, walking over the decaying armor and dust that was all that was left of of Jadus.

It had been hungry.

Satele and Senya struck together, not wanting to repeat Jadus’ mistake. The figure easily deflected Satele’s blow with its own lightsaber, and with a gesture, hurled her into a bulkhead with a sickening crunch. Still, in that moment, Senya was able to strike. They had known that one of them might have to be sacrificed for the other to be in position, and it had worked. She had won the day, ending the monster once more.

The thing looked down to its injury, the lightsaber impaling it. Then, it laughed.

Laughed in a broken, familiar voice.

“No.”

“Oh, yes,” said the thing standing in front of her. “Did you think that would work again, ‘Mother’?”

She was thrown back, losing her lightsaber, finally ending pinned to the same wall that had broken Satele. Nihilus’ gloved hand took the hilt and deactivated the weapon, tossing it aside, followed by the heavy robes the thing had worn.

Finally, it reached up to the mask and pulled it away. Senya heard her daughter’s voice, overlapping with something much older, saying, “A body so powerful, left with no spirit of its own.” Her mouth curled into a smile, then. “Thank you for this gift, all of you. Together, nothing will stop us.”

The thing that had returned with her daughter’s face laughed, and all Senya could do was scream.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by:  
> [Forbidden Knowledge (art on DeviantArt)](https://www.deviantart.com/dalekcaan1/art/Forbidden-Knowledge-859821634)


End file.
